The Challenge

We are in the midst of a conservation crisis that is occurring around the globe resulting in the catastrophic loss of countless species and the accelerated destruction of wild landscapes. Protected areas are facing a critical period where the number of well-managed parks is fast declining. Those that are unmanaged will be lost, and those that remain will become highly valued and possibly even more threatened. The driving forces behind this is the insatiable demand for:

High-value commodities: Elephants, rhinos and now even lions are being pursued across their range by increasingly militarised poaching networks, driven by the US$20 billion a year illegal wildlife market.

Protein:The demand for protein in the form of bushmeat and fisheries is escalating as the human population increases. Where there is an absence of either formal law enforcement or strong traditional sanctions against extraction, large areas of Africa are being emptied of wildlife and other natural resources.

Demand for energy: Energy requirements are a basic human necessity, the demand for it in the form of firewood and charcoal is a critical challenge and causes significant habitat and species loss.

Land:Conversion of land for human development and agriculture is resulting in an unprecedented rate of habitat loss and fragmentation. Once habitats have been destroyed it takes many years to return them to their natural state.

While these pressures are real, the opportunity exists to secure the remaining protected areas and change the trajectory of conservation on the continent. African Parks is the only organisation that secures contractual mandates with governments for 20 years or more, to assume the complete responsibility of park management and its law enforcement component. Combined with wildlife conservation, economic development and poverty alleviation of surrounding communities, African Parks’ mission is to ensure that each park is ecologically, socially and financially sustainable for the long-term.

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